Shams Ahmed

If you’ve ever wondered about the secret behind the success of groups like The Nor’easters and Pitch, Please….meet Shams.

Shams Ahmedis a masterful arranger, music director, and educator from Cherry Hill, NJ. He is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, MA, where he directed a cappella heavy-hitters and two-time ICCA Champions, The Nor’easterswhile studying Business. During his tenure, Shams earned numerous awards, including Outstanding Arrangement wins at the ICCA, as well as several CARA awards. Shams is also featured alongside the Nor’easters in Pop TV’s reality docu-series,Sing It On, where he can be seen coaching the group. He founded the all-female group, Pitch, Please!, who are featured on the show as well. During the summer, Shams is a director at A Cappella Academy, an LA-based program for young musicians founded by former Pentatonix member, Avi Kaplan.

In the fall, he can be found bringing a cappella to South Beach alongside a panel of experts including Ben Bram, Robert Dietz, and India Carney at The Betsy’s A Cappella Festival. Shams serves as a regular judge at ICCA, ICHSA, and CASA events all over the country. Outside of a cappella, he serves as Director of Talent & Creative for Northeastern University’s $1.4 billion Empower fundraising campaign. He is currently based in Los Angeles, arranging, coaching, and overseeing projects in the a cappella world. Get a sneak peek at that on his Instagram: @theonlyshamsyouknow.